"Bottoms, who is black, faced Norwood, who is white. In a city that's had black mayors since 1974, Norwood has had to defend herself. And so did her supporters. Shirley Franklin, Atlanta's first black female mayor, addressed the issue directly in an ad for Norwood.

Norwood also faced questions about her party loyalty. She identifies as an independent. But Georgia Democrats, who supported Bottoms, accused Norwood of being a closet conservative."

One campaign ad suggested Norwood is a Republican and asked whether the next mayor of Atlanta should "be from the party of Trump?"

This is not the first time Norwood has trailed in a tight race for Atlanta's mayor.

"Bottoms, who is black and the chosen successor of Reed, is widely seen as a continuation of the black political machine that has dominated Atlanta politics since the mid-1970s. Norwood, who is white, would be Atlanta's first white female mayor.

"Although race has had an inescapable presence in the hard-fought election, issues such as bureaucratic corruption, affordable housing, and transportation played a prominent role in the discourse of the campaign. Amid shifting demographics in the Southern city that has attracted a younger, wealthier population than the rest of the state over the past decades, the possibility of a self-described 'progressive independent' like Norwood being elected as mayor seemed possible.

"Bottoms, a Democrat, would continue the party's lock on the mayor's office going back to 1879."